The Sparrow on the Doorstep
by PatonxJulia
Summary: It's been two months since the defeat of Count Harken. Tancred sits and thinks about the events since then. A thump on the front door will change the peaceful state of being of the Children Of the Red King.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One: The Bird on the Doorstep

**A/N: Hey, I decided to change this from my former idea, so It's different this time. Read and Review please. **

Tancred sat next to the fire, sipping a mug of cocoa. He had decided that between trying to go back to sleep and getting up, the latter was the better option.

Tancred contemplated the events of the two months since the defeat of Count Harken. The foremost that came to his mind was that he and Emma had started dating. Just thinking about her made him smile.

The second was that Fidelio and Olivia had started dating. Em had told him that she had never seen Olivia happier, and he knew this statement was true for Fidelio as well. The fact that he had composed a whole musical just for her proved this

Charlie and his family had adopted Billy, and they seemed content just being a whole family again. Billy always had a smile on his face nowadays.

Bloors, which was now Bone's, was a place every kid enjoyed being. People rarely ever got detention and the food was much better.

Mr. Patton and Mrs. Ingledew had married and were on their honeymoon. Emma was still in the bookshop. At first Mrs. Ingledew had protested to leaving Emma alone, but Tancred had reminded her that he was endowed, and would protect her.

Tancred drained the last of his mug and went to put it in the sink. He was on his way back to the stairs when he heard a thump outside the front door.

Filled with curiosity, Tancred strode over to the door and threw it open, preparing to blast whatever was there. As the door swung away, it revealed a sight that made Tancred's heart jump into his throat. On the doorstep was a girl who was still half sparrow. On the doorstep was an unconscious Emma Tolley.

**A/N: Ok guys, I had more than one motive for leaving it like this. I want you to review, and until I get more than two I'm not going on. I'm going to continue writing the chapters though, so that when I reach two reviews, there will be lots of new chapters to post. R&R please. **


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two: They're coming

**A/N: Hey guys, sorry about the review thing on the last chapter. I only just realized how bad it sounded. Anyway, as an apology, I bring you the next chapter!**

Tancred dove forward and picked up the unconscious Emma. Even as he walked toward the couch the sparrow feathers were receding to be replaced by her normal features.

Tancred laid Emma down on the couch and felt her pulse. Steady, but faint. Whatever had happened had seriously drained her of all energy she possessed.

Tancred went to the kitchen and got a rag, which he proceeded to dunk in cold water and ring out. He then took it back to Emma and placed it on her forehead, trying to wake her up a bit.

Emma's eyes suddenly flew open and she gasped, looking around with frightened eyes.

" Emma! Emma talk to me, what happened?" Tancred's voice took on a tone of concern and urgency.

Emma groaned and lay back on the pillow behind her head on the couch.

" I was in the shop" It was evident that each word took a little bit of energy that she didn't have.

" Never mind Emma, you need to rest. Just lay back and go to sleep." Tancred wanted to know what had happened, who had scared Emma this badly, who had hurt her, so that he could find them and deal with them. But he knew that if Emma kept talking she would slip back into unconsciousness. And Emma unconscious was not something that appealed to him.

Emma obligingly closed her eyes and was asleep within the minute. Tancred sat by her side. He knew that if something was out to get Emma, it would have to go through him.

Part Two

Several hours later Emma woke. Tancred was still sitting by her side, watching her, so when the first tear slid down her cheek, he was there to wipe it off. She sat up, the tears flowing now.

" Oh, Emma" Tancred sighed and slid onto the couch next to her. He enveloped her in a hug. It gave Emma a feeling of safety, and she rested her head on his chest.

" I'm here" Tancred said, which in and of itself comforted her. They sat like that for a long time.

When Emma's feeling of fear had abated, she looked at Tancred, took a breath and began to explain.

" I was in the shop, alone obviously, when the doorbell rang. I went to open it, but before I even got there someone started breaking in. They were smashing the windows and breaking down the doors. I only just managed to slip out of my bedroom window when they came in. They didn't see me change into a sparrow, but they yelled after me. They told me that there was nowhere to hide. I went to Liv's house, but there was a van parked outside, and the moment I lighted down on the sidewalk people wearing the same stuff jumped out and went after me. I took off in time to escape, but with all the places I went it was the same. But they weren't the same. They were different people in every van. I-I didn't know what to do. I came here, but the wind around the house made it very difficult. I skipped right over the main gate, which was locked. That's when you found me."

Her story came to an end, leaving Tancred filled with fear for his sparrow. Then a grim determination came over his face. " Well whoever they are, they aren't going to get you. That much I know." With that he walked to the door and started spinning in front of it. Emma looked out the window and saw that wind had started encircling the gate.

The wind kept getting faster, until eventually it was going at tornado speeds. Then it slowly expanded along the length of the property, ensuring that any one that was lurking was blasted far away.

Emma knew that this was one of the most effective things Tancred could have done, and felt immensely relieved once he had.

"Thank you Tancred" she said, relaxing a little. Tancred came over and sat by her. He smiled, knowing that what he had just done had put her at ease. And then it started. There was a battering on the door, a tapping on the windows. Emma looked mortified. She glanced at Tancred and whispered two words.

" They're coming."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three: A Key in the Ignition

Tancred picked Emma up and ran upstairs in time to see his parents stumble out of their room.

" Back! Go back!" Tancred shouted. His parents rushed back into their room, Tancred following right after them.

" What's going on Tancred?" Tancred's mother was obviously frightened.

Tancred closed and locked the door, and gave a quick explanation to his parents as to what was happening.

" Someone's after Emma. She came here, and now their breaking into the house" He set Emma down in a chair as he spoke and then pulled the other armchair over to the door to block that route.

Tancred and his father started talking about what they could do, where they could take Emma that she would be safe.

" They will follow her, so we need to go somewhere where they can't. Somewhere where they will get lost, but we know the way." Tancred's face lit up as he said this, an idea coming to his mind.

" Dad, can I borrow the car?" Emma was a little nervous. Tancred was only fourteen. To Emma's knowledge he had never driven a car. Apparently the same thoughts were running through Tancred's fathers head, since there was a moment's hesitation before he said yes.

Tancred went over to Emma and picked her up. She protested, saying that she could walk, but her voice gave her away. It was weak and unsupported, showing that she could barely talk, let alone walk.

Tancred swept over to the open window and climbed onto the roof outside. At this point almost all of the attackers were inside. The three that were not inside were circling the house.

Tancred's father followed them onto the roof. He took Emma from Tancred and gave a few whispered instructions. Tancred nodded and then crept to the edge of the roof. He then slipped down to the ground landing solidly on his feet. He shrank into the shadows as one of the attackers came around. Once the attacker was gone, Tancred came back into the open and nodded to his father.

Tancred's father then came to the edge. He leaned down and carefully transferred the exhausted Emma from his arms to Tancred's. He then slid off the roof and led Tancred and Emma to the car. He opened the passenger door. Luckily it was well lubricated, so it made no sound.

Tancred laid Emma into the passenger seat and then quietly closed the door. He walked around the car to the driver's side and climbed in. After a few hushed words with his father, Tancred closed the door and went to put the key in the ignition. He stopped just short.

" Emma, when I start the car, every single one of them will be after us. Just trust me, and don't panic. I'm not going to let them get to us." He gave Emma a reassuring smile, and started the car.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four: TANCRED!

**A/N: Alright. I have a slight picture of what's going to happen. And it's going to be….. EPIC! Sorry, just had to get that out of my system. Read on! Oh, yeah, I need to do my disclaimer. I don't own Charlie Bone or any of that stuff. Now you can read on. **

Tancred started the car. Emma heard shouts and yells from inside the house and out. Tancred put the car in drive and shot down the driveway, evil goonies in tow.

The wrought iron gate loomed in the distance.

" Tancred" Emma said apprehensively. But Tancred did not even acknowledge that he had heard her.

" Tancred!" The car was now rocketing at ninety miles per hour. The gate was only feet away.

" TANCRED!" Emma turned away. Ironic, that after all they had been through a gate would bring about their death.

Emma prepared for the inevitable crash. But it did not come. She opened her eyes and saw only the road. They were outside the gate.

Emma looked back and saw the gate closed, the goons trying to climb it, but being repelled by a constant wind. Then Emma understood what was going on.

Tancred's father stood on the roof, arms outstretched. Apparently he was sending wind at the gate, both from the top, and the outside. Seeing as the gate was the only entrance in and out of the stone wall that surrounded the property, either the goons could get through the gate, or ram through a wall. The latter was not going to happen, since the walls were five feet thick.

Emma turned back to look out the windshield. Tancred was now coasting at seventy mph, knowing that they could relax, but only a little.

Tancred kept driving till they came to the town. Apparently the goons had phones, since big black vans were barring their way.

It was now that Emma appreciated the fact that the vehicle they were in was four wheel drive. The reason for this being that Tancred had to drive off the laid road in order to evade the black vans.

The ride was slightly bumpy, but they made it. As the looming figure of Bone's came into view, Emma understood where they were going.

" Brilliant!" She said with a smile.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five: Into the Ruins

**A/N: Disclaimer first. I own nothing. Now, I think this one will increase the action a bit. And if it's not this one than it will be the next one. Now, on with it!**

Tancred pulled up at the gate of Bone's. He had a plan. A good one, too, if he said so himself.

Tancred ran around the car and found the door open, and Emma out. She was stronger, but not strong enough to run. Tancred swung her into his arms bridal style, and ran off, not in the direction of Bone's but back into the city.

Tancred ran all the way to Frog street, and set Emma down. They walked at a brisk pace till they got to the Pet's Café. Tancred knocked on the door.

Mr. Onimous showed up, looking a bit frazzled. When he let Tancred and Emma in, they explained what was going on. Then Tancred explained his plan.

" You see, we need to go somewhere they won't know where to follow us. We need to go into the ruins. We know the way, but they don't. We need to go somewhere remote inside. We need to use your passage."

Mr. Onimous nodded, bringing the key out of his pocket as he did. He walked to the door of the pantry, Tancred and Emma trailing behind. Tancred had an arm around Emma to support her, but other than that she was strong enough to walk on her own.

Mr. Onimous uncovered the doorway, and inserted the key into the lock. He stood aside to let Tancred and Emma in.

The tunnel was dark and dank, not the kind of place you would usually find two teenagers. Mr. Onimous handed them a flashlight and said " I wish you the best. We'll guard the door."

With that they set off. They came to the warm room of the King's, but that wasn't far enough. They kept walking. Tancred knew the exact cavern that he wanted them to go to, and it took them about half an hour to get there. It was a fairly large cavern, with the roof seven feet up and the back wall about ten feet from the door.

Tancred took Emma to the back of the room and they sat down. Now all they could do was wait.

The goons would think they had gone into the school. They would search every corner twice, but not find their prey. By that time Mr. Onimous would have called up the cavalry, and the attackers would not be on the offensive any more. No, they would be put on the defensive, them running from the whole of the endowed.

Emma pulled closer to Tancred, not liking the darkness of the room. It was, to be quite honest, scaring her. Tancred put his arms around Emma, enveloping her in the warmth of his embrace.

Then they heard footsteps. Emma looked at Tancred, fear in her eyes. He motioned her to be quite. Three dark figures stepped into the doorway. Since Tancred had extinguished his light, the figures couldn't see anything. Or so they thought.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Eight: RULES!

**A/N: Sorry it's taking longer and longer to update. I'm doing a lot of stuff right now, one of them being writing other Charlie Bone shorts. Anyways, I plan to have a lot of fun with Fidelio's brotherly tirade of protection. **** I'm sorry if Fidelio seems a little out of character. I just kind of planned on him being over protective.**

"Ria, are you sure you're ready for this? Ria, why didn't you tell me before? Ria, where are you going? How could you not know? You're not ready for this, you need to call it off" and so on and so forth. It seemed that Fidelio had again forgotten that Ria was the same age as him. However, when she pointed that fact out she got the usual reply.

" I'm older than you by ten minutes, which means that I have a license to be protective." Ria sighed. This conversation was looping on itself fast.

" Ria, it's obvious that I'm not going to be able to sway you, which has partially proven to me that you're ready. The other part is going to be how you handle the first date. There are a couple things that you CAN'T do." He handed her a sheet of paper that was on his desk, which he had been sitting at the entire time he was talking to Ria.

Ria looked at the page and saw that Fidelio had made a list of things she shouldn't do. She barely contained a snort of laughter. She read down the list:

No hand holding

You must be sitting on opposite sides of the table

The two of you must remain at least a foot from each other at all times

Absolutely NO kissing

The list continued, and with each item the laughter building up inside Ria got a little higher. By the time she read the last item she had her hand over her mouth to stop herself from laughing.

" Lio, some of these things are inevitable. You can't really expect us to stay a foot away from each other all night. We'll probably be closer than that at the table." Fidelio looked like he was about to start another speech. So Ria quickly amended

" But I'll try" Fidelio calmed down. He smiled, and Ria said

" Thanks for the guidelines Lio" and ran up the stairs to her room while Fidelio called after her

" RULES!"


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven: Hypnotism and Falling Boulders

**A/N: Alright, I like the way the last chapter ended. Spooky, but enticing… So, since it was so enticing, you will probably want to get back to it. I own nothing. **

Manfred laughed.

"Emma, Emma. You foolish girl." And he switched his gaze to her. Tancred snapped to consciousness and saw what Emma had done.

"Emma no!" He went to pull her away from Manfred's gaze. Just as his hand reached her shoulder a second figure appeared in the door. Manfred found himself on the ground, entombed in a casket of stone. Only his head remained out of the rock.

The figure in the doorway was, of course, Erik. Apparently Manfred had gotten his complete crew back together.

Emma was now almost completely under Manfred's control. He sent thoughts to her head, telling her to join him, that his cause was just, and would help the world.

Emma wanted to believe him. She was trying desperately to fight it, but could not. Every ounce of her being was being converted, turned to what Manfred wanted. A horrible feeling of helplessness came over her.

All of the thoughts in her head were not her own. They had been planted there, twisted to Manfred's liking.

Then one thought permeated the darkness that was overwhelming her. A thought of white light. Of pureness beyond imagining.

This thought was of Tancred. His brilliant blue eyes, his electric yellow hair. Embedded within the thought was a feeling. Love. Her love for him.

The light of the though spread. It overwhelmed her consciousness. It drove Manfred out, but it did more than that.

Somehow the light pursued the darkness. All of it, not just Manfred.

Emma felt her eyes go unfocused. She didn't lose consciousness, just sort of lost control of herself. She blacked out, but she was still standing. She was slightly aware, but not enough to tell what was going on. She heard a shout, and then lost all sense of herself.

Part Two

Tancred was desperate. He knew that Emma wasn't strong enough to withstand Manfred's gaze. No one was, except for Charlie. Tancred made a mental note that if they ever got out of this alive, he would have to ask Charlie how he did it.

Tancred saw Emma's head loll forward. She was submitting. He tried to shout, but found that there was only enough air in his lounges to inhale and exhale, but not whisper, let alone shout.

Suddenly something happened. A light shone in the previously dingy room. A brilliant, blinding light. Tancred looked up to see Emma, her eyes glowing a silvery white. He saw Manfred quailing in front of her.

Manfred let out a shout of pain. It was almost as if the light was burning him. Erik turned toward Manfred, his concentration lapsing just enough for Tancred to escape his earthy bonds.

Tancred swung his arms. He had to get Emma away from the two, and the best way to do that was to send a blast of wind between the two parties, throwing Emma back towards him, and the other two out the door. He caught Emma, and realized that the light had vacated her eyes.

She shook her head, and then started, jumping in Tancred's arms. She quickly stood, and prepared herself for the battle that was sure to come.

Manfred and Erik waked shakily through the door. Apparently Manfred had instructed Erik not to do anything, seeing as there was no stone flying at, and or entombing Emma and Tancred.

" Clever trick. But not clever enough." Both Emma and Tancred were careful not to look into Manfred's eyes. They had learned from their mistake.

" You see, we have grown more powerful. You remember how our ancestor was the red king? Well, obviously he had ten children. Five dark, five light. Two of the dark were Borlath and the oldest girl, Count Harkens wife. Now, long after these two were deceased, two of their descendants met. They fell in love. They got married, blah, blah, blah. Their son, Marcun, was one of the most powerfully endowed in the history of the children of the red king. It is Marcun, that Count Harken's old supporters went to, it was he who commanded them."

" Harken himself did little of the leg work, and the actual magic. What he did was parlor tricks compared to what Marcun could do. It was Marcun that made it possible for Harken to take the throne. It is Marcun that we now follow."

Tancred processed the information. It was a lot to take in. Emma, however, was on the ball. She took it all in, and more, in a matter of seconds.

" See, when we…" Manfred seemed to have trouble at this point " moved away." He finally settled for. " We met some of his followers. And they convinced us that Marcun could make us more powerful than we had ever been before. They were right. I can overwhelm a person in a matter of seconds, and Erik here is no longer limited to animating carved stone. Now, anything that is earth, he can move it."

As if demonstrating this fact, Erik stepped forward and put his hands up. " Finish it. They won't escape this time." Manfred's order was cruel, with no emotion behind it at all.

Erik grinned wickedly and closed his eyes. The room started to shake. Emma straightened in defiance, though every nerve in her body was telling her to run and not look back.

Tancred's eyes clouded over. However, before he could do anything, parts of the ceiling started to collapse on themselves, bringing chunks of rock down around them.

" Ta-ta!" Said Manfred, and he walked out the door. Erik backed out behind him, his hands still raised, his spell still in effect.

A large chunk of ceiling above Emma started to rumble. She apparently didn't notice, as she was watching Erik with complete and utter hatred, only the smallest spark of fear showing in her eyes.

Tancred wasn't even aware of the fact that he was moving towards Emma toward he was only a foot away. Seeing as he was going very fast, this did not take long.

Tancred wrapped his arms around Emma on the fly, bringing her to the ground. A second later the chunk of the ceiling fell, Emma completely underneath Tancred, shielded from anything that might come at her.

Emma felt a horrible pressure come to her legs, and Tancred's head fell hard against hers. The second before she blacked out she heard a shout.

" I found them! They're here!"

**A/N: OOOOOOOOOOOH! That didn't turn out quite as I had expected, but it came out well, don't you think? Anyway, I would like to point out that this is the longest chapter I have done coming in at a grand total of 1152 words. I'm going to stop counting now. Anyways, R&R please! **


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight: From the Jaws of Despair to the Arms of Hope

**A/N: I think it's evident enough that I like to end things with cliff hangers. You will barely find one of my chapters ending without a cliff hanger. Suffice it to say, that we are calming down after the apex of action, so I'll have a tough time finding a satisfying point to end my monologue-like chapters. I like big words. **

_Emma was running down a dark hallway. Someone was chasing her. Who, she had no idea. All she knew was that she had to get away from it. She looked ahead of her and there was a flash of white light. Standing in the middle of the light was Tancred. _

_ Tancred held out his hand, beckoning for her to come to him, welcoming her into the safety of the light. She walked forward, and just as she reached Tancred, the floor fell out from underneath her. _

_ She fell into a seemingly endless hole. Looking up, she saw Tancred, standing at the edge, hand still outstretched. He was calling her name. Emma, Emma, Emma…_

" Emma! Emma! Oh thank the Lord, she's waking up." Emma opened her eyes blearily. She realized that she was in a bed. She also knew that she had an extreme headache, probably left over from all of the rocks that had fallen around her. _ The Rocks!_

Emma sat bolt upright, breathing heavily. She had to get to Tancred. She looked straight at Olivia and asked the imperative question.

" Where is he?"

Olivia's previously cheerful face fell. She let her gaze fall, and Emma swore that she saw a tear slide down Olivia's face.

"Please tell me your practicing an act. Please." Emma was starting to cry now. She couldn't loose him. She just couldn't.

Olivia looked up, and her eyes told Emma what she needed to know.

" No!" Emma was shouting now. She didn't care if anyone heard her. She didn't care about anything or anyone. Nothing except Tancred mattered.

Emma bolted out of bed. She ran to the door, ripping it open, letting it bang against the wall. She tore down the hall running straight into . The sight of tears in her eyes did nothing for her.

Emma tore past Mr. Torrsson, not caring that he was shouting after her. She entered the room that he had just vacated and a terrifying sight met her eyes.

Tancred lay on the bed, completely still. But what scared Emma was that he was not breathing.

" No. No. No" The word kept circling around in Emma's head, and eventually it found her lips. By this time, Emma's tears flowed without her even noticing.

Emma sat down in the chair beside the bed. She found Tancred's hand and held it. Nothing in the world could take her from him. Nothing.

Tancred had given his life to save her. This sudden realization popped into Emma's head. It was _her fault_ that he was dead.

" I'm sorry Tancred. I'm so sorry." Emma laid her head onto Tancred's chest, her tears pooling around her eyes.

Emma closed her eyes. She was aware of nothing, not a thing in the world. That was, until she felt something soft brush against her cheek. She opened her eyes to find herself staring into two bright green orbs.

" Leo!" The bright orange cat purred and then put it's full attention on Tancred. It climbed so that it was resting on the upper part of Tancred's chest. The other two cats arranged themselves on either side of Tancred and then laid down and closed their eyes. Suddenly there was a flash of gold, and the cats got up and ran to the window. Before Emma could even think, they were gone.

Emma looked feverishly back to Tancred, hoping against hope that he would be breathing, looking up at her, smiling and telling her it would be alright.

The sight that met her eyes was…. The same. He was not breathing, not smiling, nothing had changed.

Emma's tears enveloped her once more. It was too much. Too much. She had lost him, and it was her fault. Emma was lost to her own despair.

" Come off it love. There's no reason to cry" Emma looked up and the tears came on full force. They had done it! He was alive!


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine: It felt right.

Tancred held Emma in his arms. It felt right, just to sit there, in the armchair, with her on his lap.

Tancred's father and mother were elated, of course, but they understood that their son wanted, no needed, to be with Emma. It was helping him.

When Tancred had woken up he had seen Emma crying on the side of his bed, and he couldn't stand it. He couldn't stand to see her sad. He just couldn't.

He had held her, as he did now. And then he remembered that if she though that he was dead, other people did too. So he swung his legs out and she had helped him downstairs, his arm around her, half for support, and half so that he could just have her close.

Tancred thought back to the cave. He had thrown himself onto her, shielding her from the falling rocks, but they had been too much for him. Just too much.

He had died with her in his arms. He had protected her as best he could. But he couldn't hold on much longer. He couldn't deal with it any more.

He shivered, bringing himself back to the present time. He was alive, and that's what mattered. He was with Emma, and she was fine. He had succeeded in protecting her.

Two things bothered him though. Even though his father kept a constant wind going around the house, Manfred was still out there, and Tancred knew he wouldn't wait long to try again.

The second thing, was that they were only after Emma. Why? Why weren't they after him too? Why did they need her? Manfred had only resorted to collapsing the cavern when it became apparent that she could resist him. So why had they been trying so hard to get her?

Tancred banished the thoughts to the back of his mind, and concentrated on enjoying being alive, with Emma.

This was short lived, because just then Lysander and Gabriel came in, and between them was Erik.

" He thought he could collapse the tunnel on us, but we were too fast. Knocked him out before he had a chance. Of course Manfred left him."

Tancred nodded. He knew that Manfred was about as loyal as a toad when it came to people who helped him. That fact might just work to their advantage.

" Do you have a tail on Manfred?" He asked Lysander quietly, so as not to wake Emma up.

" Yeah. Charlie and his dad are following him. They're good at that type of stuff." Lysander said with a grin.

Emma shifted in Tancred's lap, her face contorted with fear. Tancred stroked her hair and whispered in her ear that he was there, that he wouldn't leave her, trying to bring her out of her nightmare.

Just when Emma calmed down Erik woke up. He started to bolt for the door, but Gabriel got a firm hold on the stone animators arm, effectively trapping him.

" Lemme go!" Erik's words were slurred, since he was still not fully conscious. Tancred felt a twinge of sympathy, and then he remembered the feel of Emma being limp underneath him as the rocks fell. The sympathy vanished.

" So Erik, here's how it's going to work" Tancred said. " You're going to tell me what I need to know, and we'll let you go. Simple as that. Refuse, and we have to keep you here. And trust me, I can make some pretty-interesting prison cells." Tancred said while twirling his fingers to make a vortex in the middle of the room. Erik gulped.

" Now, why did you need Emma, but not the rest of us?" Tancred asked, straight to the point. Erik swallowed, opened his mouth to speak, closed it again and opened it again.

" Just talk already!" Tancred said, getting angry. His patience had reached it's limit two days ago, when this whole ordeal had started.

" We needed her, because we don't have another like her." Erik said hurriedly, opting to spill his secrets rather than get trapped in the vortex next to him.

Tancred frowned.

" What do you mean?" He said, though he already suspected the answer.

" We have a ceremony to preform, to make out leader the prime endowed. But to do it we need one of each of the endowed. We found on of each, except her kind. She's the only one we've ever met."

" What happens in this ceremony?" Tancred asked, dreading the reply.

" They use all their energy to pour their endowment into our leader. The only problem is that they use ALL their energy in the process. They'll barely be able to sit up, let alone do anything else, for the rest of their lives."

Erik stopped at the look of pure terror on Tancred's face. _They're going to do that to Emma!_ He thought, starting to panic. Thankfully Lysander took over for him.

" Alright Erik, you can leave. But before you do, think about it. Do you really want to live like that for the rest of your life?" Lysander let go of Erik, and said boy ran to the door, pulled it open , and fled, not looking back. Tancred saw the fear in the boy's eyes, and knew that Lysander had struck a soft point.

Tancred looked down at the sleeping girl on his lap. He couldn't let them take her. He _wouldn't_ let them take her. He would destroy himself before he let them. Because Emma was his sparrow. And she was all that mattered to him.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten: Fidelio is Really good at Board Games

**A/N: I'm sorry that it's taken me this long to get this up! I've just been doing a lot of 39clues stuff, and was bordering on abandoning this story, and just leaving it for someone else to pick up. I have, however, decided against this, and am going to attempt to advance the plot. :) Hope you like it! **

**P.S: I only just realized, when I was going back over this story on fanfiction, that chapter six was from the wrong story! It's been fixed, so I recommend that you go back and read it. It should clear some things up. **

Three days. It had been three days since Tancred had woken from the dead, and three days of complete and utter insanity.

Firstly, Olivia had insisted on staying in the house, on the grounds that Emma was her friend, and she would be there to take care of her. Lysander had wanted to do the same for Tancred, but Tancred had quickly vetoed that particular idea, simply because life would already be pandemonium in the house, what with two girls( One of whom was completely insane, of that Tancred was sure) in the house, and that he would be thoroughly taken care of.

Emma was staying simply for protection. She knew that going back to the bookstore would be insanity**(A/N: I seem to like that word today)**, and that Tancred could offer the best protection in the town. Plus, she didn't want to let him out of her sight for a second, fearing that something might happen.

Occasionally Fidelio and Charlie would drop by, bringing with them the finest that Mrs. Onimous had to offer, along with a completely ecstatic Billy. Not only did Billy now have friends, but they liked Rembrandt too!

Emma was always with someone. She was never left alone, for fear of her being kidnapped. Olivia practically ever left her side, and Tancred was with her most of the time. Emma wanted it to be more often, but to be fair, he was planning a war here.

Yes, despite their last war only having ended two months ago, they were fighting another one. But this time they had the upper hand. Without Emma, the others couldn't go through with their plan, whereas the Children of the Red King were completely and utterly prepared, and ready to go at any minute.

So far they had found no trace of where Erik's people were, but progress was coming. Some of the more shady characters were seen leaving their homes all at the same time. Due to someone's endowment, none of them could be tracked, but they were figuring out how to do it.  
Currently, they were all sitting in Tancred's living room. Fidelio had come over, and they were all playing a board game. Currently, Fidelio was leading with $12000. Olivia was coming in just behind him at $11790. The two were currently in some sort of fight to the death, board game style, of course.

Right behind Olivia was Emma, and then Tancred. The last two weren't as consumed with the game as Olivia and Fidelio were. They were just enjoying being with friends, and in Tancred and Emma's case, each other.

Fidelio was on the home stretch, leading by a mere ten dollars, when Emma's dad( AKA Uncle Paton) walked through the door. He turned straight to Tancred.

" We've been able to track them. We've found them!"

**A/N: Ah, well, that was fun. I guess it should clear a few things up, though it was mostly filler. Still, I liked it. Tell me what you think! I should be writing on this more often now, so you can expect another chapter sometime soon. **** Ideas are welcome, along with new enemies, because I can't think of any. So, review, give me ideas, describe a few enemies and their endowments, and all shall be good. **** -PatonxJulia**


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